olddog-samesame

The tumultuous political storm that swept through Peninsula Malaysia on 8 March 2008 took everyone by surprise. The rumblings and undercurrents of discontentment had built up over the years. All the tell tale signs were there but no one has foreseen the devastating scale of the eruption. And then on Election Day, the voice of the Peoples’ Power came through overwhelmingly loud and clear through the ballot boxes. The Rakyat has finally awakened after 50 long years of political deceits and abuse to usher in a new exciting political era. It was unfortunate that our brethren in East Malaysia were still in their slumber. It was through their massive block of 54 seats that allowed BN to survive by the skin of their teeth. Nevertheless, 5 States fell to Barisan Rakyat. The election result could actually turn out to be a blessing in disguise. An over night change after 50 long years of a one government system might be too sudden and difficult for the people to digest. A 2-stage transition on t...

For the past weeks the on going election and ceramahs has taken centre stage in the news and blogs. The last GE Ceramah that I had attended was so long ago that I cannot even remember what year it was. So when I learned of the DAP’s ceramah at neighbourhood field in USJ 12 on Saturday night, I decided to drop by to check it out. Scheduled to start at 9:00PM, the residential neighbourhood was already jam packed with cars within a radius of 2 km from the site of the event when I casually drove there at 9:05PM. After trying unsuccessfully to find a parking spot within reasonable walking distance I ended up getting the wife to drop me by the main road. The ceramahs you see on YouTube and the real live action is very different. The turn up that night was 5000-6000 strong despite not having any heavy weight speakers. The atmosphere was almost festive and the crowd feisty and responsive. The audience were aware of the current sorry state of national affairs. Malaysians are not so politically ...

It was announced over the news today that the 12th General Election will be held on 8th March 2008. Though an extremely important event, it does not bring forth a gush of anticipation and excitement from the people. Malaysian elections are by and large rather tame, one-sided affairs with so many restrictions on campaigning imposed by the government of the day. BN is always expected to win. The only unknown factor is the margin of the win. Even then 2/3 majority is more or less a foregone conclusion. Despite being a non-event, come polling day, whether rain or shine, I will dutifully queue up to cast my ballot. I have done the same without fail for the past 5-6 general elections after registering as a voter in Subang Jaya some 27 years ago. That was probably a mistake I did not anticipate when I registered. Subang Jaya is, has been and always will be a BN stronghold. The opposition is not likely to win in Subang Jaya for the next 30 years. The votes that I had cast for Semangat 46, PAS,...

Turned 55 years old last week. There is no stopping mother time. The first thing that struck me on my birthday was I had reached my retirement age if I were to work for a firm in the private sector. I happened to be in Genting Highlands on my birthday and was taking my daughter to the Theme Park. The notice at the ticketing counter declares that anyone above 55 years old qualifies as a Senior Citizen. So the second thing that struck me was, I have officially become a Senior Citizen. I have always considered myself to be in middle age category. This honorific title that unexpectedly creeps up on me suddenly make me feels so old. I have joined the Ancient Generation category now : So how do you celebrate a birthday with such an unwelcome and unhappy reminder. Fortunately there is an upside to it as well on such a depressing day. As a Senior Citizen, the entrance ticket to the Theme Park is at half price, which means that I pay less than my 11 year old daughter. Riding the roller coaster ...

Made another trip to Kuala Kangsar last Friday. Put on full alert driver mode. Thought I would investigate whether I got scammed by the cops the previous week. The plan was to drive at the 110kph speed limit all the way and see whether I would be flagged down. My normal driving comfort zone (depending on the car) will be in the region of 140-160kph. Thus, it was excruciatingly tedious keeping the speed down to 110kph, esp. when even Kancils and Protons overtook me at the down hill stretches. The urge to floor the accelerator made my foot itch. It took a great deal of restraint and determination to persevere and stick to the plan right to the end. Thus, it was a major letdown when there was no road block or a single traffic cop in sight on the highway that day. All the restraints and plan were in vain. The only positive thing was, at that speed with the engine running at 2000-2500 rpm, the fuel consumption was extremely economical. The car consumed only ¾ tank of petrol for the return j...

DAY 1 – Touched down at Sibu Airport around 1:30PM. After a lunch of pian-pian hu (Sibu speciality rice pasta soup) and quick shower it was off to Bintulu. The road journey of 213km took about 3 hours. The winding trunk road with pot holes at long stretches was a challenging drive even during the day. The eyes have to be glued to the road at all time if you don’t want to wreck the car’s suspension or rupture a tire. Driving at night would truly be a nightmare unless you have perfect night vision. Thankfully we arrived at about 6:30PM which was already dark as the sun sets at around 6:00PM in East Malaysia. The Park City hotel is located at the estuary of the Bintulu River and next to the Water Front Park. Like most river in Sarawak, the river water is a dirty yellowish brown – quite similar to Miri’s popular teh-xi special . With rough sea and muddy river banks there is no idyllic beach to talk about. DAY 2 - Travelling along the new coastal road, the 200 odd km journey from Bintulu t...

Another road trip up North and another encounter with the traffic cops. I drove up and down at least 10 times last year and no problem. Nothing. Zip. 6 months down the line and suddenly I became a cop magnet. It seems like all their laser guns are trained and locked on me with GPS. At every turn and corner I am being flagged down. Is it the car? Are the celestial stars unfavourably aligned that cause my luck to change? Or are the cops getting more crafty and cunning. The road block on the N-S highway last Friday was at the same spot - before the Tapah R&R. I saw on coming cars flashing some 30-40km away and slowed down to the speed limit. Despite that I was flagged down. Cop: “Selamat pagi Tuan, tunjuk lesen.” Me: “Apa kesalahan?” Cop: “Melebehi had laju.” Me: “Mana ada. Berapa laju?” Cop: “125 km/jam.” Me: “Dekat mana?” Cop: “Slim River. Boleh minta gambar di Balai Polis Tapah.” (Cop starts writing summon……….) Me: “Summon kena bayar berapa?” Cop: “Sudah lama RM300.” Me: “Wah…mahal...

Artisans Pizza – Pantai Cenang A small pizza restaurant along the Cenang Beach painted red and decorated, complete with large lettering delivery phone numbers, like any other pizza outlet. We ordered Hungarian goulash, fish & chips and 4 cheezy pizza. Goulash comes with mashed potato, bread & beef stew and is a main dish by itself. The 4 cheezy pizza is simply out of this world for those who love cheese pizza. The generous topping with 4 different types of cheese blend well together. The texture is just right, not too runny and not overcooked & dry, just perfectly gluey to sink your teeth into…yum. The pizza is so good that we make a special detour for an early dinner on the way to the airport on the last day. Oriental Restaurant – Pantai Cenang A trendy and chic restaurant along the Cenang Beach. The simple rectangular white building has high ceiling and decorated with teak furniture, art pieces, water features, beautiful landscape and complete with subtle lighting. 5 s...

Langkawi reminds me of Phuket. Geographically, there are many similarities. A hilly main island with beautiful beaches and surrounded by many smaller islands. Winding hilly roads crisscross the island linking the beaches and the main town. Then there are the tourist belts along the mains beaches lined with hotels, inns, eateries, restaurants, shops, spas and tour agencies. The only glaring difference is there is no pub in sight in Langkawi! A simple 3 stars hotel in Langkawi will cost anything from RM200+ a nite and most are fully booked with the start of the year end school holidays to the end of Feb 2008. Despite trying to book 2 weeks in advance, we ended up staying at 3 different hotels on the 3 nites we were there. Sunset Resort is a smallish boutique hotel along Pantai Tengah. The 40 odd units of semi-d chalets were laid perpendicular to the beach connected by a winding beautifully landscaped path leading from the small reception to the Dining pavilion fronting the sea. The small...

On the way back from Kuala Kangsar, I decided to take the old trunk road going through Sungei Siput. Exiting from the town I was in an unfamiliar part of the country and was following the signboards to the Plus Highway. The signboard indicates left turn to join the highway. The trouble was, there are so many junctions before the actual turn and I turned one junction too soon only to realize it was the wrong one. To cut the story short, I was stuck in mid lane at a traffic light. And as luck would have it, up came a fat moustachioed traffic cop on a bike behind me. He stopped behind me, and I knew I had it this time. Sure enough I was told to pull to the side after the lights turned green. I winded down the window as he came up to me. Cop: “Tunjuk lesen.” (I showed him my driving license.) Cop: “Tahu kah ini kesalahan denda berat.” Me: “I nak balik KL lah. Ini papan tanda arahan salah....I pusing terlalu awal ..... kena pusing balik.” Cop: “Ini compaun mahal…. Mahu saya tulis…?” Me: “Se...

The journey by car from USJ to the quaint little town of Kuala Kangsar, including toilet and coffee break at Tapah R&R should take about 3 hours under present circumstances i.e. with road widening works along major stretches of the highway all the way to Ipoh. The speed limit on these stretches is 60kph including sections where the road is reduced to a single lane. If one is to strictly follow the 110kph and 60kph speed limit and not commit any traffic offence, the journey will probably take 5 hours. Raikonen can probably cover the trip in 2.5 hours (i.e driving my car and not the Ferrari). With neither the luxury of time nor the patience since it is working day trip, it was one long tiring journey. To make matter worse it rained incessantly, alternating between light drizzle and heavy downpours the whole journey to and fro. On top of that, one has to be mentally alert to be on the constant lookout for traffic cops hiding behind bushes and under bridges. The whole country seems to ...

To have 100,000 courageous people marching through the streets in one of the most repressive country in the world is simply awe inspiring. The initial quiet protest of a few hundred saffron cladded monks in Yangon, Myanmar was hardly news worthy. However, in one short week the momentum and ground swell of the protest has surged to an incredible 100,000 people. People’s Power in Myanmar has reawaken and reached a crucial threshold. Are we witnessing the dawn of a new chapter in the history of Myanmar? What unfolds in the next few weeks will determine the fate of the nation. The students lead protest 19 years ago was brutally crushed. Crack down by the military junta had already started yesterday with 4 people reported killed. How much more blood will be spilled on the streets of Myanmar. How many more martyrs has to be sacrificed before the regime is brought to its knees by the sheer will of the people. History tells us that the indomitable spirit of the people cannot be repressed forev...

Though not particularly crazy about football in general and EPL in particular (except for the World Cup), the news that the “Special One” was fired from Chelsea still struck a discordant note in my mind. Jose Mourinho is a brilliant, colourful young coach (in sharp contrast to MU’s mouldy Fergie). The results he achieved in 3 short years with Chelsea are irrefutable. Besides bringing Chelsea to the forefront of English Football, he has brought character and excitement to the dull EPL. Sacking him will go down as a grave mistake in the history of English football. In a 3rd World country like Malaysia, it is the politicians and monarchy that run the show in the FA. The criteria to held a high post is a sports body in not how much you know about the game but rather your political clout or how high is your pegging order up the hierarchy ladder. A good example in point was the recent non-contest election of KK the " son-in-law " to the post of deputy president in the FAM. Is ther...

Most golfers in Malaysia were ecstatic when Astro added the Golf Channel to their service a few months back. The euphoria dissipated just as soon. The expectation that all major golfing events around the world will be shown live 24/7 did not materialise. Apparently the willingness of Astro to pay for the transmission rights plays a major part in the limited coverage we end up with. What is offered instead is a lot of reruns on golf instructions, some dated years back. Nevertheless, being new in Malaysia, any golf program will still generate some interest in the golfing fraternity. A few of my golf buddies even credited their better score for the day to watching the instructions on the Golf Channel. The trouble with most Malaysian golfers is the lack of golfing basics. Very few ever bother to take a single golf lesson from the pros. Most of these home bred, self taught middle aged golfers also have very inflated egos. Having read a “Golfing for Idiots” instruction book or two already ma...

With a school going child in the house, the issue of giving something to the teachers always bothers me. It will not cross my mind in a million years that such a need arise, but with the wife it is a different kettle of fish all together. The beginning of each school year starts with the giving of diary and calendar, follows by oranges and cakes for CNY , pens and flowers on Teacher’s Day, moon cake for the Mid Autumn Festival, etc. etc. And teacher is not confined to the Form Teacher but includes the tuition teacher, the piano teacher, the day care centre teacher, the transporter, etc. etc. The very act of giving to teachers - is it a gift or bribe? Webster online dictionary defines GIFT as something voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation and BRIBE as something that serves to induce or influence. The definitions and distinction between the 2 acts is very clear. Bearing gifts to relatives, close friends, colleagues or neighbors on special occasions is a l...

A couple of weeks back, while driving around USJ10 Taipan and looking for a place to have dinner, we came across this new restaurant with a sign board offering the original “Under the Bridge” Klang Bak Kut Teh. We ventured in with great expectation to try out the new found place and were rather disappointed. The concoction tasted like any run off the mill BKT, not even on par with the fare sold by any of the BKT shops in SS15. So when informed by an East Malaysian residing in KL that he is taking visiting relatives to savour the famous BKT in Klang, we took the opportunity to tag along. The corner shop is located in Taman Berkley adjacent to a Guardian pharmacy and opposite the Alliance Bank. Our verdict – not bad but definitely not the Numero Uno. So the search for the real McCoy continues. We must have eaten at scores of BKT shops over the years. The closest to perfection (according the wife and I) is that sold by the BKT shop on the main road in Klang town centre. The corner shop lo...

Air Asia touched down at Phuket Airport at 1:20PM on Sat 17 August 2007. The moment we stepped out of the arrival hall, the sky opened up to welcome us with a heavy down pour. A tout approached us on rental car. After some negotiation, got ourselves a good deal. A Toyota Vios for 48 hours at1800 Baht, much less than the official quoted rates. The return taxi fare to and fro from the airport alone would cost more than half the rental price and we have the convenience of own transport. Surely a good start although it rained all the way in the 45 minutes drive to Patong beach. Unfortunately the weather was crappy. The persistent intermittent rain continued right through to the early hours of Monday. Shopping at the street stalls was virtually out of question. So we hang around at the new shopping mall Jungceylon. Things sold were not particularly exciting and @ departmental store price. The petulant and whining daughter made the evening even more tiring. So we decided to return to the hot...

I accidentally caught the movie showing over Channel 23 on Astro over the Merdeka weekend. I have not watched a Malay movie in donkey years. The refreshing inter ethnic romantic theme was a pleasant surprise. The story line does not even sounds plausible, for a young Malay school girl to fall in love with a VCD selling Ah Beng (copper head and all) but I was piqued enough to watch from the beginning to the end. In fact, I even stayed up to 1:00 AM to watch the sequel Gubra which was shown immediately after Sepet. Unfortunately, Gubra was not as good. The effort to promote multi ethnic understanding within Malaysia by this new generation director and producer is definitely laudable. 3 September 2007

MY PC KOed What a disaster. A few days back, my daughter accidentally unplugged the power supply while I was surfing the net. The damn thing blacked out and would not start up properly again - going in loops starting up the window cycle indefinitely in perpetual restart. My attempts with F8 and starting up in safe mood and all other available different combinations also failed to boot up the CPU. Shutting down and restarting repeatedly also failed to do the job. So the only option left was to call the computer guy. After 3 days and repeated calls to the computer wizard, he came back with the bad news. My hard disk had crashed. With that all the accumulated files, data, photographs saved over the years just disappeared forever. Duh!!!!!!! What an idiot. Why didn't I kept a back up copy in a CD. What's most agonizing is the lost of those irreplaceable family photographs taken over the years... including the most recent photographs taken in Phuket a few weeks back. Hmmm maybe that...

The holiday trip to Trengganu on the 2nd weekend did not materialize because the mother had work commitment. With school reopening on Monday, time was running out to arrange Plan B. To placate the daughter from declaring this as the most boring holiday ever, I skipped work last Friday to take her to the PD beach. The morning at the beach turned out to be surprisingly pleasant and relaxing. Finding and collection sea shells along the beach are one of ML’s passions. We walked the whole length of the beach from the public area at the 9th Km to well beyond the former Ming Court hotel and back. We collected over 100 seashells big and small including common cockle shells and shinny fish scales. Her treasured collection would be washed and dried and to be showed off to her classmates. Frolicking in the water and floating on my back with gentle waves lapping against my body was extremely relaxing and therapeutic. I could even practise my yoga breathing exercises and meditation. The only draw b...